Tagged EU

The idea of a European Union united under common energy policies and energy security strategies, seems to be even more far-fetched, after the amendment of the old Gas Directive (Directive 2009/73/EC),... Be More Curious...

She is graduated with a degree in International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of Trieste, Italy. Currently, she is running her master’s degree at the University of Konstanz with a specialisation in ... Be More Curious...

The recent European elections have shed an informative light on the state of politics both within individual member states and in the wider European sphere. There has been a rise in voter turnout in most EU countries, some by quite significant amounts. S... Be More Curious...

The concept of Information Warfare (IW) is not recent. It could be define as “a targeted effort to undermine and neutralize hostile command and control systems for the purpose of protecting and coordinati... Be More Curious...

However, there remains a paradox which is indeed endemic in Western Balkans. It is more or less overt support extended by the European Union to policies and leaders which are both inherently anti-European... Be More Curious...

As part of our Monday Talks series supported by Science 14, we have talked with H.E Jacek Czaputowicz, the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, about many pressing issues, including the upcoming European elections, EU enlargement to the Western Balk... Be More Curious...

The collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991 led to the birth of several nation states, with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (henceforth FYROM) being one of the initial offspring. Compared to the rest o... Be More Curious...

Amid a neck in neck Israeli election, the incumbent Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, will likely garner enough support “to extend his decade-long stretch in power to become the country’s longest-se... Be More Curious...

Disinformation is understood as a verifiably false or misleading information that is created, presented and disseminated for economic gain or to intentionally deceive the public, and maybe cause public harm.
The EU elections are going to take place ... Be More Curious...

The saga, surrounding the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), finally came to an end this February (2019) with a brand new North Macedonia label stamped over the old contested FYROM... Be More Curious...

As part of our Vocal Cast series, we have talked to Péter Balázs, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary and a professor at Central European University in Budapest. Among many relevant issues, we h... Be More Curious...

The row between the US and Russia over the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty began in July 2014, when the US State Department published a Compliance Report, alleging “that the Russian Federation in violation of its obligations under the INF ... Be More Curious...

After the US unilateral withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal in May 2018, Europe's positions have always been in support of it. In the margins of the 2019 Munich Security Conference, EU High Represe... Be More Curious...

On the 6th March 2019, Vocal Europe organised an expert panel discussion on the future of EU-Turkey relations under the question “Can the European Union remain connected to Turkey?”. The central pa... Be More Curious...

Hateful, racist or sexist comments on the internet: you've probably seen them. Many people try to ignore these messages. But actually, it's better to take action and flag illegal hate speech. The European Commission and IT companies know that we can’t ... Be More Curious...

On 22 January 2019, Vocal Europe and Science 14 hosted an expert panel to discuss the European Union’s and Iran’s strategic interests in preserving the nuclear deal, the most relevant issues that sh... Be More Curious...

The “energy dominance” term is both a major vow and focus of “America First” vision and a hallmark of the energy policies pursued by Trump administration. It reflects the return of the United States a... Be More Curious...

As part of our Monday Talks series supported by Science 14, we have talked with H.E Carmelo Abela in Valetta, the capital city of Malta, about many pressing issues including migration, populism, and the upcoming European elections.
Ebubekir Isik... Be More Curious...

As part of our Vocal Cast series, we have talked to Meritxell Serret, Representative of the Government of Catalonia to the EU. Among many relevant issues, we have talked about the current state of Catal... Be More Curious...

On July 19th, 2018 the Israeli Knesset, which is the House of Representatives of the State of Israel and thus works as the legislative branch of the government, passed a bill known as “Israel as the Nat... Be More Curious...

With the recent rise of tensions in the Azov Sea, Russia-EU relations seem to have reached a new low after the Salisbury attack. However, some European political parties, and notably the so-called populist movements, have often called for a sanction lift... Be More Curious...

The European Union introduces tariffs on rice from Cambodia and Myanmar in an effort to protect Italien farmers. Another example of "free trade" à la European Union.
It was announced last Wednesday t... Be More Curious...

All opinions in this column reflect view of the autor(s), not of Vocal Europe
Whilst Pakistan is at the centre of international concern due to its human rights record, Europe has remained... Be More Curious...

The rise of far-right has brought to the forefront the debate about whether such ideas should or not have a public say and as to whether they should occupy public space and time. Many even argue that if we do not give public say to the far right, if we... Be More Curious...

2019 is shaping up to be an exciting, if worrisome, year for Europe. While everything seems to be slowing down in preparation for the eventual hand-over of institutional positions, time never stands sti... Be More Curious...

Given the ascent of ultra-right political parties such as the “Rassemblement National” led by Le Pen in France, or the “Lega Nord” headed by Salvini in Italy, many were wondering why this kind of moveme... Be More Curious...

On 3 December 2018, Hungary’s Central European University (CEU) declared that it has been forced out from its campus in Budapest by the far-right government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The decision came after months of attempts by the U.S. gover... Be More Curious...

As part of our Vocal Cast series, we have talked to Janez Janša, former Prime Minister of Slovenia and leader of the opposition party SDS. Among many relevant issues, we have talked about the curren... Be More Curious...

The concept of a European army has been widely discussed in the past years and particularly weeks, raising many questions about the possibility of such an idea becoming a reality. Where did the noti... Be More Curious...

Where the EU is walking the plank, the UK should be able to recognise and seize post-Brexit opportunities. On 6 November, the Italian government asked the European Commission to apply the “safeguard clause” on rice imports from Cambodia and Myanmar in ... Be More Curious...

As part of our Monday Talks series, we have conducted an interview with Mr. Georgios Katrougalos, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece to discuss the recent matters of relevance.
Sergio ... Be More Curious...

The Digital Single Market debate within the European Union is set to continue for years to come. Instead of planned policies, tech companies need freedom.
The Internet of Things describes the usefuln... Be More Curious...

The Balkan Region, and particularly the Western part closer to the EU, consisting of the so-called WB6 – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia – has always had a fundamental role within the international geopolitical... Be More Curious...

The idea of European citizenship still dominates, being the world’s only “real” post-national and non-state citizenship that provides an individual with freedoms, obligations, rights and a sense of comm... Be More Curious...

The Parliament of Ukraine has recently voted for a Resolution that proposes to shut down two national TV channels – NewsOne and 112 Ukraine. The MPs accuse them of spreading Russian chauvinist propagand... Be More Curious...

Religious and ethnic factors present in the Cypriot conflict have paved the wat for external actors to take part in this conflict, exposing the resolution of this conflict to the political interests of third parties.
Since 2011, this conflict has t... Be More Curious...

Looking back on the past 15 years, there is little doubt that the 9/11 attacks profoundly altered the landscape of international security. Over the last decade and a half, there has been a tremendous mu... Be More Curious...

As part of our Monday Talks series, Vocal Europe interviewed Mr Henri Malosse, former President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Honorary Chairman of Vocal Europe, on how to furt... Be More Curious...

Five years ago Croatia became EU's 28th member-state. The accession process was seen as in important step for the Balkan region and the “Ex-Yugoslav area” to become Europeanized.
One interesting thing was that Croatia’s accession in fact was in cont... Be More Curious...

Despite the declared intentions of both the Kosovar and Serbian governments to achieve the land-swap deal, which would allegedly contribute to the detente of their bilateral relations and more generally... Be More Curious...

This morning was marked by the annual State of the Union speech to the European Parliament by the President of the European Commission in Strasbourg. Jean-Claude Juncker spoke for the fourth and last ti... Be More Curious...

After the Commission’s adoption of the “Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on specific provisions for the European territorial cooperation goal (Interreg)”, on the 7th of September 2018 the European Economic and Soc... Be More Curious...

With the European elections coming up in 2019, Emmanuel Macron’s possibilities to change the political landscape at the European level seem to not be as easy as expected. The last week of August was mar... Be More Curious...

As the 2019 elections for the European Union’s commission president approach, the ongoing talks about an ideal candidate has granted its attention to leader of the European People’s Party, Manfred Weber... Be More Curious...

Consumer have a lot of demands towards the European Commission, but one key question really needs to be asked. It's a question of trust. There is this truism that says that you only notice what you are missing when you no longer have it at your disposa... Be More Curious...

On the chessboard of the world, every pawn seems to be an important pawn. Especially when the stake of the game is the expansion of the political power by gaining of the old sphere of influence and the ... Be More Curious...

Aterrorist attack took place on 14 July 2016, in France. This day should have been a celebration day for so many people and has transformed up to the night into a funeral day, a terrifying day. When a w... Be More Curious...

The new Italian government, result of an extenuatingly long negotiating process between the League and the Five Star Movement (M5S), has been now in office for the past two months. Even though the role of Prime Minister was conferred to Giuseppe Conte,... Be More Curious...

In the last two decades, the world has seen a rapid digitalization of services, both in civil society and state functions, thanks to the Internet and to the world wide web. As much as this is considered a p... Be More Curious...

Since he took office, President Trump has called on European NATO members to increase their military spending, in order to fulfil the pledge of 2% of national GDP assigned to defence, made during th... Be More Curious...